Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 45
तेन देवगणाः सर्वे संक्षिप्ता मायया पुरा । प्रलीनाश्चैव लोकेश न दृश्यन्ते हि सांप्रतम्
tena devagaṇāḥ sarve saṃkṣiptā māyayā purā | pralīnāścaiva lokeśa na dṛśyante hi sāṃpratam
Par Lui, jadis, toutes les cohortes des dieux furent rassemblées et retirées par la Māyā; et, dissoutes, ô Seigneur des mondes, elles ne se voient plus à présent.
Narmadā-devī (contextual continuation)
Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā liṅga-sthānas
Type: kshetra
Listener: Lokeśa addressed in verse; brāhmaṇa listener in frame
Scene: Hosts of devas fade like sparks into a vast darkness, drawn inward by an unseen force; only the liṅga’s presence remains steady, suggesting the unchanging amid change.
FAQs
Even divine powers are subject to cosmic withdrawal; the Supreme alone remains beyond appearance and disappearance.
The teaching is embedded in the Revākhaṇḍa’s Narmadā setting, reinforcing the sanctity of its Śaiva tīrthas.
None explicitly; the verse explains cosmic concealment rather than a rite.